After hearing the intel Deidara provided, Pain frowned slightly, a grave expression appearing on his face.
As a former student, Nagato was all too clear about Jiraiya's combat prowess.
In a situation with asymmetric information, the Six Paths of Pain might be able to kill him one-on-one.
But add teams of Konoha's Shinobi, Orochimaru who knew quite a bit about his abilities, and the 'Root' lurking in the shadows, ready to stab them in the back at any moment... Nagato wasn't confident he could perfectly kill Jiraiya without leaving any loose ends.
"Gamasuke, how much does your Root know about Jiraiya's intel?"
Thinking of this, Pain shifted his Rinnegan towards Sasuke, a hint of coldness in his voice.
'The hiding of the Kyubi was a core secret of Konoha's higher-ups, known to very few.'
'Apart from Sandaime, Danzo, and two advisors, perhaps even Jiraiya-sensei was unaware.'
'Using this information gap, we could have the double-agent Danzo interfere, feeding Jiraiya-sensei false intel to lure him away.'
'The plan could still proceed.'
"Regarding Jiraiya, he isn't involved in Konoha's conspiracy. But Sandaime will likely tell him Naruto's real coordinates. After all, the combat power of one of the Legendary Sannin could eliminate many enemies."
Sasuke spread his hands, indicating he couldn't help.
At the same time, his internal assessment of the Akatsuki rose another notch.
'An organization already this strong in raw power was still so meticulous and terrifyingly calm in intelligence gathering and analysis.'
'If I and Naruto didn't have the Group Owner backing them, knowing many secrets in advance, then one day in the future, I, Naruto, and Konoha would all suffer heavy blows from this organization.'
"Hmph, a busybody."
Pain snorted coldly, his words carrying both dissatisfaction with Jiraiya and a trace of reluctance towards his former teacher.
If Jiraiya could avoid this vortex, he could withdraw completely unscathed, his life not threatened.
But if Jiraiya insisted on standing in the way...
Even if it was troublesome, even if he was a former teacher...
Nagato, whose thinking had already been corrupted, wouldn't show the slightest mercy.
"Since he will also be with the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, we will wait for the Immortal Duo to return, then mobilize the entire organization for the hunt."
Pain commanded in a deep voice, turning to walk back towards the mansion.
The Immortal Duo: Kakuzu and Hidan.
In terms of raw strength, they were among the weakest in Akatsuki, and any established Akatsuki's member could easily defeat them.
But in terms of the weirdness of their abilities, the Immortal Duo ranked first.
One had five hearts, five Chakra Natures, and five lives.
The other was simply immortal, a madman extremely likely to succeed against an opponent unaware of his intel.
These two's contribution to the hunting operation wasn't in combat power, but in 'harassment'.
If the Immortal Duo could tie down Jiraiya or a few other Elite Jonin, it would be enough to tilt the balance of victory.
"Tch, what's the point of waiting for those two misers? Boring, boring. Sasori, let's go back and make a couple of puppets for me to blow up."
"You're even more boring."
On the other side, Sasori and Deidara also walked towards the residential area, bickering as they went.
Their faces were full of displeasure and frustration.
Sasuke silently observed everything, a faint sense of awe growing in his heart.
On the surface, Akatsuki was highly disunited.
Members looked down on each other, their abilities were all over the place, lacking the discipline and structure of Konoha's Shinobi.
But in reality, beneath their free-spirited and undisciplined state lay an incredibly unified belief:
Obey the strong.
Whether it was Deidara, Sasori, or the soon-to-return Immortal Duo, they all held a considerable degree of reverence for Pain's strength.
'That terrifying man with the Rinnegan... his strength was comparable to past Hokage. With Sandaime Hokage aged and weakened, he might even be able to kill a Hokage!'
Seeing this, Sasuke silently faded into the background, disappearing into the drizzling rain.
At this moment, in the group chat,
Naruto's messages were spamming the screen, having @'ed Sasuke countless times.
[The Dead-Last Jinchuriki: @Second Pillar Thinks He Can Do It, Second Pillar, get out here! I've got important intel here. Let's exchange!]
[Second Pillar Thinks He Can Do It: I told you not to call me Second Pillar!! And how did you know I also have intel?]
[The Dead-Last Jinchuriki: Hehe, as someone chosen by the Group Owner Mister for darkening, if you didn't even have this much skill, you might as well leave the group.]
[Second Pillar Thinks He Can Do It: …]
Sasuke sighed helplessly, but he had to admit that was exactly what he thought too.
The moment he got the information, he had opened the group chat.
He had a vague premonition that Naruto also had intel that would shock him.
[Dark Group Owner: You two can stop showing off your bond now. The other group members are about to vomit.]
[The Strongest Assassin of Xuanwu: +1]
[Cat Burglar: +1]
[Young Master of Demonic Cult: +10086]
[The Dead-Last Jinchuriki: Alright, enough joking. Serious business now. My intel is… Orochimaru took two corpses out of his hideout. They're the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokages! They will definitely become key points in this battle!]
In the Naruto World, upon hearing this intel, Sasuke's body trembled.
The strength of the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokages was among the top, even among all the Hokages.
'Perhaps Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation wasn't yet proficient, limited by his own strength and perspective, unable to restore the Shodaime and Nidaime to their full living strength. But even so, it would absolutely bring huge trouble to Akatsuki.'
'The God of Shinobi... even dead, his reputation still shook the Shinobi World!'
[The Dead-Last Jinchuriki: Second Pillar, what about yours? My news is weighty enough, right?]
Meanwhile, in Otogakure, Naruto sat on a patch of grass, typing with his thoughts, feeling quite emotional.
He had just been lurking outside the cave entrance, witnessing with his own eyes Orochimaru dragging out the two corpses.
The bodies of the Shodaime Hokage and Nidaime Hokage, even after so long, showed no signs of decay, still looking heroic and extraordinary.
One could imagine how powerful they were in life.
[Second Pillar Thinks He Can Do It: My intel is also quite important. Konoha has sent the Pervy Sage, Jiraiya-sensei, to hunt you down. If I'm not mistaken, the Shodaime Hokage's granddaughter, Tsunade, will probably act with him. Two of the Legendary Sannin joining forces... that should be roughly comparable to the resurrected Shodaime and Nidaime, right?]
Sasuke also replied, feeling slightly worried for Naruto inside.
Compared to his own situation, Naruto was the one truly caught between multiple forces.
Akatsuki was watching him covetously, Konoha was determined to capture him.
If his identity was exposed, Orochimaru wouldn't miss out on such good material as the Kyubi either.
As a Jinchuriki, from the moment he was born, he was destined to walk this path of darkness.